Breaking the Masked Man

Yao Yan nodded solemnly. He understood that a 'normal person' like Hun Xuzi couldn't comprehend the existence of a cheater, so he naturally didn't bother arguing with him.

Hun Xuzi pondered for a moment, then black flames surged in his palm, and with the distortion of space, a jade bottle appeared in his palm. He took out a crystal the size of a thumb from it. This crystal was chaotic in color and exuded a mysterious aura.

Yao Yan stared longingly at the object, feeling a strong attraction to it: "Teacher, this is..."

“Spirit crystals are crystalline substances formed from spiritual energy. Only a ninth-grade alchemist can refine them, and it requires a considerable price. Since you are an alchemist, you should be aware of the realms of the soul. There are four realms of the soul: the mortal realm, the spiritual realm, the heavenly realm, and finally the emperor realm.”

Hun Xuzi said calmly that these were all things Yao Yan would need to deal with in the future, and he didn't mind informing him in advance.

Yao Yan looked shocked and listened intently.

"Most alchemists in the world are at the mortal level. Only those with exceptional talent can sense a fleeting glimpse of spirituality during the alchemy process. You should know that sixth-grade pills possess a certain degree of spirituality, while seventh and even eighth-grade pills have even higher spirituality. Ninth-grade pills are no different from human pills. To refine such pills, possessing a spiritual soul is one of the most basic requirements."

"The Spirit Realm is a realm that only those whose souls contain sufficient spiritual energy can reach."

"In the Heavenly Realm, the soul body is no different from the human body, and can roam freely throughout the world."

"As for the Emperor Realm, this realm is already related to the Emperor..."

When the word "Emperor" was mentioned, Hun Xuzi's tone became more wistful. In the Dou Qi Continent, only the Dou Emperor was the true peak. Unfortunately, this peak has now become a distant legend.

"Then what is the teacher's spiritual realm...?"

Yao Yan asked, feigning curiosity.

With black flames flashing in his eyes, Hun Xuzi said in a low voice, "The Great Perfection of the Heavenly Realm is just one step away from the Emperor Realm. Unfortunately, it is unknown how long it will take to reach that step. Breaking through to the Emperor Realm is simply not something that can be achieved through cultivation."

He knew very well that the only way for him to break through to the Emperor Realm was to use a massive amount of soul essence to power himself and forcefully break through that level.

Unfortunately, he couldn't yet enjoy the soul essence accumulated by the Soul Palace.

Think of this.

He did not continue on this topic.

Looking down at Yao Yan, Hun Xuzi continued, "Your body is somewhat special. It may be related to the Dou Di bloodline of the Yao Clan, or it may be related to the power of the Devouring Spirit Clan bloodline that you have refined. You can refine spiritual energy into your body at the Dou Zhe stage. Perhaps you will be able to reach the Emperor Realm in the future."

He joked and directly injected the spirit crystal into Yao Yan's soul. With his ninth-grade grandmaster level control, he wasn't worried about harming Yao Yan's soul at all.

Accompanied by a stream of chaotic light, a sliver of ice crystal pierced directly into the center of the forehead.

Yao Yan felt a tearing pain in his soul. A moment later, a cool sensation swept through his soul, just like the feeling of refining spiritual energy, but even more direct. His body was also nourished.

Spiritual energy, the fundamental power of the universe.

Unfortunately, this item is extremely rare on the Dou Qi Continent, seemingly because spiritual energy degrades into the energy of heaven and earth, making it possible for the Dou Qi Continent to cultivate only Dou Qi.

In ancient times, there were some techniques that helped the soul absorb spiritual energy, but by the time they were passed down, these soul techniques had almost been lost to the outside world.

Of course, this does not include the ancient imperial clans.

Hun Xuzi implanted the spirit crystal into Yao Yan's soul. After Yao Yan became familiar with it, Hun Xuzi circulated his soul power and transmitted a mantra into Yao Yan's soul, instructing him: "This mantra can assist you in refining spiritual energy. Remember, once your soul can no longer withstand it, slow down. Your current soul power is not enough to completely refine a spirit crystal. Just proceed step by step."

"is teacher."

Yao Yan nodded in agreement, but her heart was filled with complex emotions; she felt a mixture of love and hate for Hun Xuzi.

He didn't know if he would be able to bring himself to be ruthless in the future.

Perhaps this is the biggest difference between him and people like Hun Xuzi.

"After you recover, I'll teach you alchemy. Alchemy is not some trivial game you play with mud."

Hun Xuzi stared at Yao Yan with a playful look, clearly aware of Yao Yan's escape through the stone wall.

Yao Yan's heart tightened, and all the goodwill she had felt vanished.

Hun Xuzi is still a pervert!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 15 The Stone Clan

Time is like quicksand, always slipping away unnoticed through our fingers.

Unknowingly.

The sweltering summer has been replaced by the cool autumn. The once lush green branches have begun to turn yellow with withered spots. The once vibrant Shennong Mountains seem to be withering with the season, and a sense of desolation envelops the entire mountain range.

The arrival of autumn means that winter is not far away, and even monsters need to store food for the winter.

Of course, what happened outside had little to do with Yao Yan. For the past two months, he had been studying alchemy under Hun Xuzi. As expected of a ninth-grade alchemy master, Hun Xuzi taught him alchemy techniques in a profound yet simple and easy-to-understand way. His collection of prescriptions was also astonishing, making him a veritable library of prescriptions for the Dou Qi Continent.

Almost every common prescription available in the world today is available to Hun Xuzi.

Given that he was once the closed-door disciple of the Pill Tower Master and also held the title of the Soul Clan's chief alchemist, it's easy to imagine just how many medicinal formulas he knew.

However, this also benefited Yao Yan. In just over a month, he learned how to refine hundreds of low-level pills, ranging from first to fourth level.

Yao Yan really likes this kind of cramming-style education.

same.

Hun Xuzi was also very satisfied with Yao Yan, a disciple with exceptional talent and intelligence. He was a genius alchemist himself, and what he hated most were those stupid people who could not be taught no matter what. As a teacher, he would naturally feel very comfortable with a disciple like Yao Yan who could learn as soon as he was taught.

It was still a cave behind the waterfall. Several moonstones embedded in the stone wall dispelled the darkness and made the cave as bright as day.

On the stone bed.

The handsome, black-haired youth closed his eyes, formed hand seals, and with each breath, the rich power of heaven and earth gathered around him, turning into wisps of white mist that swirled around his mouth and nose. His aura grew increasingly powerful, as if he were advancing towards a higher level of cultivation.

The pace of progress was also steady and orderly, without any obstacles, until it reached the peak, where it seemed to be under some kind of pressure and was forcibly suppressed.

"Whoo~"

Yao Yan opened his eyes, slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and frowned slightly as he felt the abundant fighting spirit within his body.

He has now reached the peak of the nine-star Dou Zhe, and the Dou Qi vortex in his body is extremely thick and viscous, and he can turn Dou Qi into liquid at any time. This is almost his current limit. Next, he can only break through to the Dou Shi level to continue to increase his strength. However, Hun Xuzi asked him to suppress it.

According to the other party's wishes.

With their fighting spirit strength improving, how could the Devouring Spirit Clan's bloodline power remain stagnant?

The other party seemed to be truly treating it as a precious elixir, trying to achieve perfection at every step and craft it into the most perfect work.

"If we suppress it for a few more days, we won't be able to suppress it anymore..."

Yao Yan muttered to himself that his talent was indeed terrifying. Even without cultivation, the surrounding天地能量 (heaven and earth energy) still flowed into his body, not to mention that the soul crystal in his soul was constantly releasing spiritual energy, nourishing his soul and body. The original difficulty in cultivating the Three Flowers Gathering Fire Technique was now almost non-existent.

When one's talent is high enough and cultivation resources are abundant enough, the side effects of cultivation techniques obviously cease to exist.

If the cultivation technique is difficult, it's not a problem with the technique itself, but rather with the person and their family.

Fortunately, Hun Xuzi knew about Yao Yan's situation, so he didn't keep Yao Yan waiting for long. That night, he brought his gift: a body that was not quite dead yet. The body's aura was not weak, at the level of a Great Dou Master, but its blood and qi were extremely strong. Its skin was grayish-white, and there was a pattern of a huge rock between its eyebrows, exuding a heavy and powerful aura.

"Teacher, this is..."

Yao Yan blinked, having some guesses about Hun Xuzi's gift.

Hun Xuzi chuckled strangely: "Hehe, this is a core disciple of the Stone Clan. His bloodline power is not high, but it has reached about the sixth rank. His talent is not bad. Feel his body. The Stone Clan is a Dou Di family. They are born with immense strength and their own defense is extremely terrifying. If an opponent of the same level does not have a powerful fighting technique, they cannot even break through their physical defense."

As expected... Yao Yan guessed it when he saw the clan mark between the other party's eyebrows. At the same time, he couldn't help but admire Hun Xuzi's ferocity. As expected of a member of the Hun clan, he could kidnap a core disciple of another clan as easily as playing with him.

He crouched down and felt the other person's body. The grayish-white skin was as solid as rock, far exceeding the defense that a Great Dou Master should have.

"Teacher, won't this cause any trouble?"

Yao Yan couldn't help but ask a question.

Hun Xuzi chuckled coldly in a low voice, "Don't worry, the Stone Clan is a bunch of brainless bastards. This guy was kidnapped by me while he was out training. With the Void Devouring Flame covering our aura, no one can find us. As for guessing... what can they do if they have no evidence? They can't possibly start a war with the Soul Clan over the disappearance of a core disciple, can they?"

Clearly, Hun Xuzi has done this kind of thing a lot over the years. Compared to the major imperial clans, who still have some sense of shame, the Hun clan will stop at nothing. They not only target the major imperial clans, but also ordinary people. They have established the Hun Palace and harvested soul essence everywhere to supply Hun Tiandi and others to advance to the Emperor Realm.

Is it really that satisfying to be a bad guy?

The doctor asked himself a question.

"Let's see if we can devour his bloodline power."

Hun Xuzi pursed his lips and said expectantly. He had Yao Yan suppress his cultivation level in order to devour the core members of the Stone Clan. The power of a sixth-grade bloodline is not low, especially for a race like the Stone Clan whose Dou Di bloodline is about to be exhausted.

"Fine, I was forced into this too..." Yao Yan muttered to himself as he looked at the Stone Clan members who were still alive. He knew he couldn't defy Hun Xuzi, but at the same time, he was also a little restless. He really wanted to know how far the Devouring Spirit Clan's innate supernatural abilities could go.

As Yao Yan activated the bloodline power of the Devouring Spirit Clan, a brutal and bloodthirsty aura instantly spread, and a strange pattern appeared between his brows, resembling a half-closed vertical pupil.

Even his once calm eyes turned violent, covered with a scarlet halo, filled with an aura of evil.

"Teacher, how do we prepare it? Should we just start eating?"

Yao Yan pursed her lips and asked an extremely stupid question.

"..."

Hun Xuzi fell silent after Yao Yan's words. He glanced at his clever eldest disciple and said calmly, "You can try, as long as you can bite it."

"I was just joking."

Yao Yan chuckled dryly, raised a hand and placed it on the other person's chest. Then, the Devouring Spirit Clan's talent was fully activated, and an evil aura surged from his body. This was a power different from battle qi; it was more domineering, evil, aggressive, and devouring, and it was filled with a destructive aura, as if it wanted to destroy everything.

As his talent was activated, Yao Yan's half-closed vertical pupil between his brows opened completely, a scarlet halo flashing, and at the same time, an indescribable hunger arose in Yao Yan's body.

The Stone Clan member's body began to convulse, thick blood vessels bulging on his skin, his fighting spirit began to dissipate, and even his soul power began to converge towards Yao Yan.

Simultaneously.

Yao Yan's hand, which had been in contact with the Stone Clan member, began to mutate. His fingers became longer and even sharper, and his nails pierced the Stone Clan member's skin. The Stone Clan member's powerful defense was now as if it were non-existent. At the same time, everything inside the Stone Clan member began to surge into Yao Yan's body.